to think my dogs are Ok off leads around horses!

[Teapot101]

We walk a bridlepath around our home. We pass many horses with no problems whatsoever. 3 riders are continually rude to us and I've had enough. "can you put your dog on a lead" and when I did passed me saying "This is a bridle path you know" I replied that it was also a footpath! She was clearly grumpy that I was walking up the footpath with my dogs they could not have a good canter. They could have waited until I was at the end. My dogs do not approach horses and are very used to walking pass them. they do not bark or skitter or anything. We pass several other locals on horses and have no probs whatsoever. It's the arrogant attitude that is bothering me. They never say good morning, are v cold and standoffish, so do not feel predisposed to dive into the nettles to benefit their ride!!

[ElkeDagMeisje]

*limitedperiod I promised myself I’d leave this thread alone after Elke talked about going ninja on a dog but I keep being drawn like a fly to shit.

Do you have to be so disrespectful?

[limitedperiodonly]

'fraid so

[merrymouse]

Just back from walking my dog. He is pretty much always on lead because his recall is not good enough to be properly reliable off lead.

Could see some dogs a few hundred yards away. Suddenly hear owner (who is another few hundred yards away) calling his dogs (one muzzled) back because they are running towards my dog.

Muzzled dog gets to my dog and starts attacking, but can't do much because of muzzle. I have to wait with three dogs and my young daughter until owner arrives because he cannot call his dogs back.

He was clearly away with the fairies, dogs off lead, did not have control and was not looking out for other walkers/riders/animals/children.

I don't think there was a real danger, but it was alarming and could have had a long term effect on my dog's behaviour. Luckily my dog isn't aggressive or we would have been in real trouble. When I see a dog I like the owner to give signals that they are in control and know what they are doing. Maybe the people in the OP were rude, but I think all horse riders want is an indication that the dog owner isn't some kind of numpty. The easiest way to do this is putting it on a lead or calling it to heel.

[amarmai]

the name bridleway says it all.

[limitedperiodonly]

the name bridleway says it all.

No it doesn't.

I've pinched this from another current thread about evil dog walkers:


A public bridleway is a way over which the general public have the following, but normally (only 'normally' because of Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 at s56(1)(b) ) no other rights:

to travel on foot and
to travel on horseback or leading a horse, with or without a right to drive animals of any description along the way.
Note that although Section 30 of the Countryside Act 1968 permits the riding of bicycles on public bridleways, the act says that it "shall not create any obligation to facilitate the use of the bridleway by cyclists". Thus the right to cycle exists even though it may be difficult to exercise on occasion. Cyclists using a bridleway are obliged to give way to other users on foot or horseback.

Interestingly it doesn't say that dogs aren't permitted.

The words in bold are her words, not mine, but I agree with them.

It's shared space. We should all be respectful of other users and if we or our pets are unable to comply with loose rules of engagement with others, then in the words of Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral, we have to be where other people are not.

[Loafliner]

We have had horsey folk join our doggie facebook group to try to insist that we did not use the bridleway so riders could build up some speed without fear of meeting a human or doggie obstruction - i thought they were being a bit reakless and stupid to assume a small facebook group could stop a potential obstruction to their canter on a public pathway.

[Lurkedforever1]

Loaf- true horse people don't go round making such knobbish requests. Only arseholes (usually with an inflated opinion of their own riding ability) who also happen to ride or own horses. Don't get the wrong impression from some entitled arses, proper horsey people would berate them far more than anyone else for being so rude.

[Lucyneedspeace]

Not read whole thread but my horse is terrified of certain dogs. There is no rhyme or reason she is a moody mare. Sometimes we pass without even a look other times she spooks BADLY spins and bolts back to yard ! I ended up with a broken arm following a probably friendly dog bouncing near us.

[Lurkedforever1]

If you know that's a habit I take it you won't be taking her in public places again till it's sorted? There are any number of valid reasons, none of which are 'moody mare'. Because that's astoundingly dangerous to take a horse that you know you aren't remotely in control of out in public, knowing full well it behaves like that with you. The arm might not be fun but you at least made the decision it was worth the risk, anyone she might have easily injured or killed tanking off, either then or other times doesn't get that choice.
Apologies though if you mean on private land with trespassing dogs.

[ElkeDagMeisje]

I'm wondering where this "private land" is that mumsnetters keep referring to? There are so many references that I'm assuming there is more of it than on livery yards. And why can't dog owners find some of it as well to let their dogs off the lead on?

I'm also wondering where you can find these bombproof horses which can be guaranteed never to react to anything that would give the average horse a fright. Maybe a mechanical horse?

Mine is bombproof, but if a dog chased him and snapped at his heels or bit him, I'm pretty sure he would either kick out or bolt. More likely he'd spook a little and get bitten badly because he did neither of the two above dramatically enough.

I think its time to discuss banning dogs being off the lead in public places which are not designated for the purpose. Its not just horseriders that get injured by them.

Or at least have them go through an annual test to get a license for being off the lead in public places, so that the owner's training, particularly obedience to recall, is tested. I get the impression that some dog owners are so ineffective, they either never bother to train their dogs at all or are pretty useless at it. I spent half an hour recently avoiding, stopping and shouting at an out of control dog that followed me and my horse, trying to lead it back to the owner, only for her to let it go again the moment she could no longer see us and for it to immediately return to start circling us, growling, teeth bared, sliding across the grass on its belly to get closer, then running quickly behind my horse's heels and snapping at them. Every time we tried to ride away it would circle in front again. It was actually another dog owner that grabbed hold of it in the end so we could get away. And that's not the only incident that's happened.

When you come across one of these out of control, off the lead dogs, its a nightmare. You have to stop whatever you're doing while a dog stalks you, while the owner has been left behind out of sight. I used to think they would never bite until I was bitten, and now I know they can. I have a local dog club near me where the owners have great fun doing obstacle courses with their dogs. Those dogs are well trained. I ride past it all the time and not once have I been chased by an out of control dog. They have to hire private land to do it on of course, but it is possible.

I also have third party insurance for my horse, as does just about every horse owner I know that competes with their horse and therefore regularly takes it off the yard. Do dog owners tend to have third party insurance? Plus I am required by law to have a passport for my horse, which identifies me as its owner, and produce it when required to prove it. Its idiocy not to have similar for dogs, when there is a case almost every week of someone (usually a child) being badly bitten by a dog.

[Lurkedforever1]

I'm not saying its ok for dogs to be out of control. It's not at all. But if you know you will lose control of your horse when it encounters a dog then a public place isn't safe. After your horse has tanked off, and ran over someone's pram/ child/ adult/ caused an rta, saying oh well it doesn't like dogs isn't a good enough explanation.
An actual attack is different, or if you have every reason to believe the horse is likely to respond safely and you'll remain in control. There is a massive difference between robotic bombproof and spinning and tanking off from something you know you are likely to encounter. Plus you don't actually need robotic bombproof. You actually just need a horse that will respond to you as the leader. However if you don't ride well enough to do that, the onus is on you to either ride horses who do have predictable and safe responses to stimuli you are likely to meet, stay on a lr or avoid communal public areas. 'It's a moody mare and spins and bolts off' is in no way acceptable.
elke I'm not saying you sound out of control, it's lucy who shouldn't be in public places. But for future reference, the dominant body language you mention when on foot with dogs is exactly the right response when on a horse. If they are just being playful and silly turning towards the horse and shouting 'sit' or similar will often do it. Or at least confuse them as to why a human is up there. If they're actually stalking you and coming round the front to keep the horse at bay, then stay square on and ride towards it. Walk is usually enough or a trot. If the dog keeps returning then once it's backed off instead of continuing away keep going after it until the dog is running from you. Not only does it solve the problem at hand, but reinforces the idea for the horse that a dog chasing you/ jumping up etc is something to see off, not run from. Fight over flight. Which means if they are properly attacked, they are more likely to attack it back, than race off acting like prey.
As a plus point a careless dog owner will generally shit themselves and get their act together very quickly when they realise friendly rover who just wants to play bless him has half a tonne of horse bearing down on him.

[Lurkedforever1]

Turning towards the dog not *horse

[honeyroar]

Be only read the first couple of pages and the last, sorry. I have horses and dogs. I think you have to be respectful of each other and use your head.

My horses are not remotely bothered by dogs, even ones that run at them. If I meet someone on a ride and their dog is barking or showing nervous behaviour around my horse I will usually stop and have a chat with the (usually embarrassed and apologetic) handler and let the dog have a look and a sniff at the horse. Hopefully the next time the dog sees a horse it won't be as reactive because my horse didn't react to it..

If I'm out with my dogs I would get hold of them if there are horses approaching, even though they wouldn't do anything, as (as this thread shows) some riders would be stressed that a dog was off the lead, and a stressed rider means the horse gets more stressed. I'd also rather have my dogs out of the way in case a rider can't mange their horse.

If on a bridleway I would always pass a walker at a walk and say hello. Bridleways are for horses and walkers. If I wanted to canter I would have to let the walkers or other riders be safely out of the way before setting off.

Luckily I live in a very rural area with endless bridleways and footpaths. People generally seem to respect each other and everyone is mostly happy.

I think the riders sounded rude/arrogant/nervous in this opening post.

[Teapot101]

honeyroar I think you have summed it up nicely. It was a genuine question. I will put my dogs on a lead next time.

[tallulahturtle]

Met a dog a while ago who ran up to my horse and started snapping at my horses heels , owner didn't seem to give a shit he just stood there staring , called it half heartedly. Then my horse kicked it in the jaw. It immediately stopped barking and backed off. The man said "did your horse kick my dog" i said, well based on the fact that its stopped barking and has backed off , yes. " He shrugged and i rode off. I like to ride early morning as i avoid most of the stupid dog walkers, (on their phone, listening to music, not taking notice where there dog is) had a woman gasp the other day and say "you don't expect to see horses in the woods" , she was on a bridleway. Went out today at about 10am and couldn't go 10 metres without bumping into another dog. Also years ago my pony was chased up a main road by an Alsatian, she is still terrified of dogs. So please put them on a lead around horses, or at least hold them while we go by.